One of the priority trails in the Trails 2000 program is a trail up Bear Creek Canyon from Morrison to Evergreen that would connect with trails going North to Bergen Park and South to Conifer. A small piece of this trail has been in place for years. It is (was) the section from the Highway 73 bridge across Bear Creek along the bank and up the stairs along side Evergreen Lake Dam.
The reconstruction of the Highway 73 and Highway 74 intersection in Evergreen and the new bridge provided opportunity to upgrade this trail. Room was made for a trail underpass under the bridge. This particular corridor is restricted by the highway, the creek, and the large elevation change.
Modifications to existing trails generally are designed by Open Space staff without public input. OSAC generally is informed of the design decisions but does not discuss details. Staff considered a number of options and determined that a sloping ramp would be the most feasible and a bridge design was selected. Although the ramp would be steeper than ADA guidelines, which are not required in this case, staff believed it would allow safe use by hikers, bikers, skate boarders, etc. Staff then selected a standard design bridge for the ramp. Bridges of this standard design are in place over Highways 93 and 58 in Golden, crossing 44th Avenue on the Clear Creek Trail, and crossing Clear Creek in Wheat Ridge.
However, installation of the bridge ramp in Evergreen resulted in a lot of very vocal reactions, with those upset over the industrial design and the impact on the view most vocal. Most of the negative reaction was due to the fact that the bridge superstructure impacted the view of the Bear Creek valley from the highway. Others, however, appreciated the improved access. A number of meetings were held by Greg Stevinson, OSAC chair, with a committee which including Evergreen community representatives, Margot Zallen, Chair of PLAN Jeffco and Jan Wilkins, OSAC member. Greg Stevinson and Ralph Schell, OSAC Director, decided that it would be best to recommend to the Commissioners that the bridge be removed and alternates discussed in 2005 as part of the discussions on the other parts of the trail thru Evergreen which are to be constructed. The Commissioners agreed.
The bridge was removed the week of December 20 and will be stored by the fabricator in Greeley until it can be used on another trail. Note that the conceptual trail up Clear Creek from Golden to the County line anticipates eleven crossings of the creek and the bridge may be used for one of these. .
This section of trail will be included in a public meeting to be held January 25th, 2005, at 6:30 p.m., at the Buchanan Recreation Center that will discuss the complete trail corridor from the dam to the Eastern edge of Evergreen.